Teen Titans: World's Greatest
by Seth Turtle
Summary: Beast Boy remembers the childhood trauma that led him to his current state and battles a ferocious undersea monster. Co-starring Aqualad!


Two Atlanteans were swimming in the Carribean one day. It sounds like the setup for a fantastical racial joke, but it actually happened. The Carribean had long been a secondary base of operations for Atlantis ever since the days of piracy. These two Atlanteans were searching for a downed submarine belonging to the Atlantis Researcher's Guild. It went offline several days ago, and only recently did the Atlanteans in this sector find the beacon for the ship. The two Atlantean soldiers were here on reconnaisance, hoping to find out what caused the ship to go down, and whether or not the scientists piloting it were still alive.

_"Any guess on what it was?" _asked Greedo, the older and more experienced of the two, but only by a year.

_"Not a clue,"_ Beebit replied without enthusiasm. Even through the radio link in his mask, Beebit's boredom was apparent. _"It's probably just a malfunction. Nothing in this region is dangerous enough to damage an S-class vessel."_

_"I don't know. This place has had a lot of strange occurances over the years. Almost as bad as the Bermuda Triangle."_

_"Psh, yeah right. Most of those 'strange occurances' are from 'Lanteans sneaking a peek at the surface-dwellers on the beaches and getting caught. These science-types act like the humans are somehow interesting."_

_"They are, once you get to know them."_

Beebit whipped his head to the side as he heard an odd sound. Both soldiers froze. _"What was that?"_

Greedo pushed a button on his mask to scan the area. A red targetting square flowed back and forth in his eye piece, locking onto bits of coral debris and fish, but not identifying them as a threat.

_"It's nothing,"_ the older man muttered. _"Just a ghost."_

Beebit was about to agree, until a large shadow loomed over a crest in the sea floor. The Atlantean stared across the expanse into a pair of demonic, red eyes that glowed with feral intensity. The shadow was gigantic, and it scared the soldier witless. He held up his hand to point in fear, but he could barely even do that.

_"What's the matter?"_ Greedo asked the stuttering idiot. Finally, he turned around, but by then it was too late. The shadow loomed ever closer, then rushed in for the kill. _"NOOOO!"_

Two quick flashes of movement, and it was over. Both Atlanteans were gone. All that was left was a single halberd, which sank slowly to the sea floor. The shadow swam away as quickly and quietly as it came. The sea was silent.

-

The tune for "Teen Titans, Go!" begins and shows the opening credit animation.

When there's trouble, you know who to call! Teen Titans!  
From their tower, they can see it all! Teen Titans!  
When there's evil on the attack,  
you can rest knowing they've got your back!  
Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol! Teen Titans, GO!  
With their super powers they unite! Teen Titans!  
Never met a villain that they liked! Teen Titans!  
They've got the bad guys on the run!  
They'll never stop 'til the job gets done!  
When the world is losing all control! Teen Titans, GO!  
1-2-3-4-GO! Teen Titans!

****

World's Greatest

Beast Boy sat quietly in his room at the edge of his bed, his head bowed in prayer and his hands clasped around a cheap, store-bought rosary. The Titan didn't consider himself religious; he was just raised that way. The only time he prayed was when he honored the dead. And there were only a handful of people in his life whom he honored that way.

There was a light knock on the door. Beast Boy didn't hear it. He wasn't religious, but when it came to praying, he did it with the utmost intensity. It was the same intensity he showed for his movies and his video games, assuming Cyborg wasn't yelling at him while playing.

Another light knock. Again, Beast Boy didn't hear it. The person knocking quickly grew agitated and opened the door herself. Raven waited for the other teen to say something, but no response came. Surprised, she walked into the room ever so slowly. She noticed him kneeling and paused. She stood with her robe pulled closely around her, as if the room suddenly chilled.

Beast Boy finished the first ten prayers of the Rosary, and was about to start the second set. Only in that gap in the prayer did he notice there was a stranger in the room. He opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder.

"I didn't know you do that," Raven said in her usual husky voice.

"Only on special occasions," Beast Boy said quickly. "Could you please leave? I'm busy."

Raven scowled. "I was going to ask you if you wanted the television. I know you worship at the altar of Saturday morning cartoons. If you don't stake your claim, Cyborg and Robin are going to watch the football game they've been clamoring about."

"Not this morning." Beast Boy turned back to the bed and started the next batch of prayers. Raven stayed put, much to his annoyance. He tried to ignore her, but it was difficult now that he'd noticed her. "Well? Are you going to stand there or leave?"

"...Why are you doing that?" Raven asked curiously. "What's so special about today?"

"When'd you get so nosy?" Beast Boy glared. "You threw a fit when Cy and I went into your room. What makes you think you can just barge into mine?"  
Raven huffed and turned around. "Fine." She swept out of the room, and the door slid shut behind her. Beast Boy angrily resumed his prayer.

Moments into the prayer, he started to feel bad already. He should've been glad that Miss Can't-Connect-With-Anyone was actually curious about what he was doing. Of all the days she had to be curious though, she had to pick this one. He couldn't stop mid-prayer and go apologize. This was important.

_Sorry, Rae,_ he thought. With that, he resumed his prayer and hoped that there wouldn't be any more distractions.

The T-communicator on Beast Boy's desk buzzed and flashed, indicating an emergency had come up. The teen groaned angrily and fell face-first onto the bed.

Beast Boy glared at the ceiling. "This is all your fault. Why're you picking on me?" The communicator continued buzzing and beeping, so Beast Boy had to go. He placed the rosary in a box underneath his bed, right next to a framed picture of a man and a woman in front of an African village. In the woman's arms was a little baby in a Winnie-the-Pooh outfit.

"Later, guys. I promise." Beast Boy smiled at the picture fondly before sliding the box under the bed. He grabbed his communicator and dashed out the door, before quickly making his way to the den where the others were.

"What's the deal?" Beast Boy asked when he arrived. He glanced at Raven for an answer, but she scowled and turned away. Great, he thought. She'll be angry for months now.

"Aqualad is calling us from the Carribean Islands," Robin said after a quick check with the Tower computer. "It's a regroup signal. He must want us to meet him there."

"The Carribean?" Starfire asked. "What is this place?"

"Sun, sand, and sexy swimsuits!" Cyborg cheered. "Aww, yeah!" He looked to Beast Boy for his follow-up cheer, but the Titan could only frown. Any other day, and he'd be just as excited.

Robin turned off the monitor. "We'd better get down there as quickly as possible. We'll use the T-Jet. To the hangar!" Starfire and Cyborg nodded and raced after the team leader.

Beast Boy tried to stop the remaining Titan. "Raven, I-"

Without a word, she ran off after the others.

Beast Boy sighed. "This is not gonna be my day."

One flight of the T-Jet later, and the Titans were on beautiful sunny beach in the Carribean island chain. Specifically, they were on a secluded area of the beach where they could land their jet away from the public and transform it into its submarine form without creating a spectacle. Also, Aqualad and his Atlantean friends could swim ashore here without revealing their presence. Beast Boy sat in the shade of the starboard wing, silently worrying about his unfinished business back home.

"This place... is hot," Raven said in understatement. The goth girl kept every part of her pale skin in her robe for shade, and she stood next to Beast Boy beneath the T-Jet's wing for still more shade. Even then, she was sweating.

"The ocean is so clean here!" Starfire exclaimed as she spun in a joyous dance through the sand. "It reminds me of the Elbibs of Stvania on my home planet!" She picked up a handful of sand and tossed it into the air in celebration.

"We're not here for a vacation," Robin said as he checked his communicator. "Once Aqualad gets here, we'll find out what the trouble is."

"Hopefully we'll find out quickly," Raven said sourly. "If I stay here too long, I will melt."

"You've gotta know how to go with the flow, Ray," Cyborg said as he inhaled deeply. "I was kinda hoping we could stick around after we finish helping Laddie and Tram."

Raven waved her hand to cool her face. "Not even Aqualad can make me stay here."

"That's too bad." The Titans looked towards the water, where said-hero and his aquatic sidekick Tram were vacating the water. "Because I was kinda hoping you guys would visit."

Starfire's eyes lit up with big pink hearts when she saw the dripping wet visage of Aqualad. "Hello! It is good to see you again!" Raven seemed ready to follow suit, but the sickening heat dispelled any feelings of attraction she might've had.

Beast Boy forced himself to smile and waved. "Hey buddy. What's up?" Cyborg made a similar greeting to Tram, a fellow techie.

"Sorry to interrupt your weekend, everyone. But I have a serious situation here." Aqualad pulled a scroll strapped to his uniform waist and unwrapped it. He held it out to Robin, who took it and read it. At least, he tried to.

"What is this?" the boy wonder asked. "It looks like it's written in some sort of oriental kanji."

"It's the written language of Atlantis," Aqualad said. "It's a description compiled by various seers who've spoken to the dead, all killed by this thing in the past few weeks."

Starfire gasped. "Spoken to the dead...?"

Robin examined the pictures accompanying the description. "This looks like a shark of some kind. The proportions and coloring suggests a tiger shark."

"This is no ordinary tiger shark," Aqualad said. "The seers call it the Nautilus, named after a mythical death god in our culture."

"The Nautilus?" Cyborg repeated. "I thought that was a clam or something."

Aqualad sweatdropped. "Different languages, different meanings."

"What's so bad about this thing?" Robin asked. "If it were a normal sea creature, you could control it, right?"

"I don't control creatures - only communicate with them. And this monster is beyond communication." Aqualad indicated a section of the strange kanji. "These are the powers it has exhibited in its attacks."

Robin uselessly turned the scroll left and right to get a better view of the kanji. Still, he was unable to read it. "And?"

"The Nautilus is, quite literally, a monster. Not only is it some kind of super-shark with incredible strength and speed, but it is extremely intelligent for an animal. It even possesses psychic powers, in addition to the already powerful senses a shark has."

"...Whoa," Beast Boy said. "_Not_ good."

"I've tried to track this thing down myself, but I can't seem to corner it. Any animal that encounters it has been killed like the Atlanteans. So far the monster's been localized to this region, but my people are afraid that it will head for Atlantis, or even populated surface regions."

"So we have a psychic Jaws to worry about," Cyborg said. "And only two of us here can fight underwater with any amount of skill."

"With your submarine, I think you will be of great help to us," Aqualad said. "Even if the monster sneaks up on you, I believe you can combat it quite effectively with the vehicle's onboard weapons."

"Okay," Robin said. "In that case, let's prep the Jet for transformation and go after that shark."

Cyborg looked at Aqualad's partner and smirked. "You going with us, Tram?" The creature clicked and whooped in the affirmative. "All right! You can have B.B.'s spot then."

The transformation of the T-Jet into the T-Sub was quick. All it took was one button press from the cockpit, and BAM. Once Cyborg and Starfire pushed the submarine itself into the water, the Teen Titans took their positions inside. Only Aqualad and Beast Boy stayed outside. They watched the Titans get into the ship together. Aqualad quickly noticed his green friend's emotional state.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Aqualad asked. "You look depressed."

"Did you use your telepathy to find that out?" Beast Boy snapped.

"I can only do that if you're a fish, remember?" he teased. Beast Boy didn't smile.

"Have you ever lost someone important to you? And... you weren't able to save them, but you could of if you were there?"

Aqualad shook his head. "I don't know who my parents are. I was abandoned when I was born. I haven't lost anybody, but I haven't had a family either. Sort of a good news, bad news deal."

"...Oh." Beast Boy watched as Raven chided Starfire for suggesting that she swim in the water to wash off all her sweat.

"Did you lose somebody recently?" Aqualad asked.

"Not recently. But today was an anniversary of sorts." Beast Boy's gaze fell to the sand. "My parents died today in a boating accident."

Aqualad tried to make a compassionate reply, with limited success. "I'm sorry."

Beast Boy nodded thankfully. "They were exploring a region on the African coast like usual. I usually went with them on their trips, but I decided that day that I wanted to stay home." Beast Boy sighed deeply as he tried to control his emotions. Tears formed in his eyes, but he forced them back inside. "I could have saved them with my powers if I was with them."

Aqualad patted his friend's shoulder. "You can't blame yourself for that."

"Who should I blame then?" Beast Boy muttered. "Who do you blame for what happened to you when you were a kid?"

"Nobody," the teen said seriously. "By the time I was old enough to place blame, I'd gotten used to my life. Placing blame doesn't change anything. It's useless to blame yourself for things beyond your control."

"But it wasn't beyond my control. I could have saved them if I was there!" Beast Boy glared at the taller teen. "I don't know how the accident happened or why, but if I was there I could have saved them! And the only person I have to blame for not being there is me!" Beast Boy's angry words brought tears to his eyes again, so he turned his back to wipe them away.

Aqualad wasn't sure what to say, so he just said silent. He saw the other Titans were ready to launch, so he headed for the water.

"Come on. We've got work to do." The superhuman dove into the water and swam into the ocean as the T-Sub submerged.

_I have nobody to blame but myself,_ Beast Boy thought. He headed for the water and changed into a dolphin in mid-dive. _But I'll make you guys proud. I'll take care of this Nautilus thing in no-time flat!_

Aqualad and Beast Boy (as a dolphin) swam together in search of clues, with the T-Sub following. Although Beast Boy didn't have a communicator on him (his clothing and stuff were subsumed by his transformation), he could hear what the others were talking about. Cyborg was discussing possible enhancements to the submarine with Tram, who replied with affirmative or negative clicks. Robin was tracking the surrounding ocean with the onboard sensors. Starfire was trying to talk to Raven about Aqualad and the beach, but Raven wouldn't give an opinion on either.

Beast Boy figured she liked Aqualad too, at least more than she liked him. Especially after their spat this morning.

"Look, there," Aqualad said. Beast Boy glanced in that direction and saw a school of local fish swimming away as fast as they could. Aqualad used his telepathy as they rushed by, while Beast Boy tried to piece together information from the sounds and smells he detected. He could become a sea creature, but speaking their language was impossible for him.

"They said that a 'big shadow' is coming." Aqualad turned around to face Robin's bubble. "You hear that?"

_"Yeah,"_ the teen replied. _"But I don't know what they're talking about. I'm not picking up anything as big as the guy we're looking for. If he's out there, he's somehow hiding from the radar."_

_"That's not all,"_ Cyborg cut in. _"A cruise ship is passing through this area, fully loaded. I'm betting ten to one that our 'nauti' friend is heading there."_

"All those people in that boat," Beast Boy remarked. "If the shark disables the ship, it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel."

_"Let's head for the cruiser. Even if Nautilus isn't there, we can warn them of the situation."_ The T-Sub zoomed in the direction of the sub, with Beast Boy following at a matching speed. Aqualad took another look at the fleeing school of fish, then followed the other teens. They managed to get halfway to the ship before something else got their attention.

_PING..._

Aqualad gasped. "What the..."

"What?" Beast Boy asked. "What's the matter?"

Aqualad looked around, controlled fear on his face. "I just felt something... horrible. So much anger, and so much primal fury... it has to be him!"

Beast Boy whipped around, looking for the source of Aqualad's fear, but saw nothing. "Where?"

_"What are you two waiting for?"_ Robin said. _"Let's go!"_

"Something's here!" Aqualad shouted, still looking around.

_"There's nothing on our scopes. If it was this close to us, we'd be able to see it!"_

"I don't care what your radar says." Aqualad clenched his fists tightly. "It's here."

The T-Sub radio picked up a broadcast in the nearby area. _"May-day, may-day! Cruise vessel N.V. 109 is under attack! Unidentified object has severely damaged our starboard hull! We are taking on water! Repeat, we are taking on water!"_

"Dude, screw your premonitions!" Beast Boy snapped. "He's already at the ship!" The green dolphin zipped ahead of the sub, and the other Titans followed in the T-Sub.

Aqualad's glare thinned. "I don't understand. I'm sure it's..."

_"Come on, Laddie!"_ Cyborg shouted. Tram shouted similar commands in his peculiar language. Aqualad swore under his breath and swam after the others.

The cruise ship was already halfway into the sea when the Titans arrived. There was a literal frenzy going on as the ship's passengers rushed to lifeboats being inflated on deck. The size of the hole in the hull was amazing. A car could drive through it! The ship was quickly taking on water, and people were panicking. And it seemed a school of sharks had noticed this. They circled underneath the lifeboats, each ramming them from underneath in an attempt to knock humans into the water.

_"There are so many angry fish here,"_ Starfire noticed. _"A goobarg's dozen."_

_"If that means thirteen, you're right,"_ Cyborg replied. _"And they all look pissed."_

_"How come nothing is showing up on the radar?"_ Robin said, perplexed. _"The sharks, the ship… nothing. It's like the radar's not even on."_

"Sharks are predatorial, but they aren't like this," Aqualad said. "They're going out of their way to attack the humans."

"Well, tell them to stop!" Beast Boy said. "Use your powers, man!"

"I'm trying. But their minds are clouded by rage. It's so powerful... it couldn't have occured naturally."

_"Something is controlling the sharks' emotions,"_ Raven said. _"It's psychic anger. But I can't find the source."_

_"Beast Boy, Aqualad! Focus on the sharks!"_ Robin ordered. _"Titans, we're surfacing to save that ship!"_ The T-Sub headed for the surface of the water.

"All right!" Beast Boy shapeshifted into a green shark as big as he could manage. Although he could change into any animal, he was always the same shape and size as that animal's teenage form. Which meant that Beast Boy wasn't always as big and bad as he wanted to be. He zipped into the frenzy and started ramming sharks away from the rafts. Aqualad joined him and used his fists to do the same.

"The sharks are probably being controlled by that Nautilus thing, right?"

Aqualad cold-cocked one of the sharks, sending it spiraling towards the sea floor. "Yeah, which means it's close by."

Beast Boy looked at the hole in the side of the ship, and noticed that much of the hole was already underwater. As big as the cruise ship was, a shark could probably swim around in there. He swam towards the hole himself and swam into the flooded part of the ship.

"Hey, wait!" Aqualad yelled. A shark tried to bite down on him, but he uppercut the fish so hard that it did an underwater somersault. More sharks swam in to attack, so Aqualad was forced to resume the fight.

Beast Boy swam into a sunken galley and squeezed through the open door. Inside, several tables and chairs floated through the water. A few plates of what looked like spaghetti littered the area, making it feel like he was swimming through someone's intestines. The smell of the meaty food excited and disgusted Beast Boy at the same time, because of his shark body's desire for meat conflicting with the teen's desire for tofu.

The sound of water parting filled Beast Boy's ears (or whatever a shark had). Something big swam through the hallway behind him. Beast Boy turned around, but whatever it was was out of sight. Beast Boy was starting to get worried.

_Is it toying with me? Or is it just too big to get in here?_ Beast Boy couldn't waste time, so he swam cautiously to the open door and looked into the long, dark hallway. The figure was already turning the corner way off in the distance. It's tail was big enough to brush against the ceiling and the floor of the 10-foot hallway. Beast Boy gulped (sort of) and followed.

In no time, he found himself in the dance hall. Bodies of people who didn't make it out of the ship in time were here, floating around like manakins. Beast Boy was seriously creeped out by the sight of these people. Not only were they dead, but they had drowned... just like the parents he'd been fretting over all day. Beast Boy lashed out at one of the bodies, knocking it away out of fear and disgust.

WHAM! From behind, another tail did the same thing to him. Beast Boy crashed into the wall with a dull thud, since the water had taken most of the impact away. He looked across the room to see the biggest, nastiest shark he'd ever seen. This thing had black skin and red marks across its face that looked like battle scars and tiger stripes. The shark had to be at least fifty feet long. Its main body was taller than Cy, and wider too! This thing was HUGE...! Especially when you compared it to the scrawny, twenty-foot shark form that Beast Boy had. He looked like a guppy compared to this thing.

_Okay, I can do this,_ the teen told himself. _This guy may be big, but I'm fast and I can change shape!_ Beast Boy jetted through the water towards the creature's face. The shark opened its mouth wide to bite, but the hero swerved out of the way just before the jaws slammed shut. Beast Boy swam to the creature's neck and bit with all his might. His teeth cut into the shark's flesh as easily as a knife cut through water, and he took a chunk out of the monster. Beast Boy spat the flesh out in disgust, and turned around to see the results of his attack.

The giant shark seemed to grin. The flesh wound that Beast Boy caused was closing up rapidly, as if it were a tape rewinding. In seconds, the wound was completely closed. The creature's eyes flashed red.

_Oh, crud._

Starfire and Raven quickly gathered all the people they could carry and flew them to the rafts that Robin and Cyborg were unfolding. Between the two of them and the ship's crew, they were able to unfold every life raft above water and get the passengers in them safely.

"I don't think we can save the ship," Robin admitted to the captain as the crew itself jumped into a raft.

"Don't worry about it. You've done more than enough!" the captain said. "A rescue ship will be along to help us. We just need to survive until then."

"Then the next order of business are those sharks," Robin said. "Titans, go!" The four Titans met at the T-Sub where Tram was waiting, closed their bubbles, and submerged again to help with the fight down below. When they got there though, Aqualad had already pummeled all of the sharks into normalcy. A literal pile of sharks lay on the sea floor, stunned but alive.

Aqualad rubbed his brow, wiping away imaginary sweat. "That's a workout." Starfire swooned in her bubble, and even Raven showed extraneous interest in Aqualad's ruffled appearance.

_"Where's B.B.?"_ Cyborg asked. _"And where's the big fish?" _

"They're both inside!" Aqualad said, already on his way towards the hole. "Come on, we have to help Beast Boy before-"

A green shark slammed through the hull and skipped off the surface of the water before sinking back in. Although unconscious, Beast Boy remained in his shark form, since it required conscious effort for him to change. His body was battered and bloody.

The other Titans gasped. Starfire, as per usual, vocalized her worry more easily than the others. _"Is he...?"_

"No, he's alive. Barely." Aqualad turned Beast Boy right-side-up so that his shark body could breath normally, even though he was unconscious.

A loud crash signalled the arrival of Beast Boy's opponent. The giant black-and-red shark barreled through the ship's hull as if it were tin foil. Its eyes flared with red light, making Aqualad and Raven both cringe. Their empathic abilities allowed them to feel the monster's unnatural fury, and it chilled them to the bone. If that wasn't enough to express its emotional state, the monster's roar was strong enough to shake the sub and the surrounding ocean like a miniature earthquake. It was like a T-Rex roaring underwater - an unnatural thing for a shark or any fish to do.

_"So big..."_ Raven said, her body trembling from a mixture of fear and pain. _"So angry..."_

_"Maybe this'll calm it down!"_ Cyborg and Tram worked together to aim the Sonic Cannons on the submarine's front flank. Tram quickly locked on the target, and Cyborg yelled for him to fire. Tram pulled the trigger, and two powerful beams of sonic force crashed through the water and slammed into the shark. The monster slammed into the ship's hull with enough force to knock it sideways a few feet.

_"Booya! Scratch one!"_ Cyborg cheered. His cheering was cut short when the monster shot through the water like a torpedo and rammed the T-Sub itself!

Red alarms went off in every bubble as the submarine's outer hull was nearly crushed to bits. The readouts displayed the ship's general condition, and showed 48 of the front hull was damaged. One more hit like that and they'd be taking on water!

_"That didn't even phase him,"_ Robin said in disbelief.

Aqualad flew through the water and gave Nautilus the old one-two. The shark retaliated with a tail-smack that knocked the hero senseless. Aqualad recovered before he could hit the ground and flew back for a counterattack. He punched with all his might, each hit making the creature see white. Finally, the shark had enough and roared loudly before closing its jaws. Aqualad narrowly avoided losing his arm in the creature's mouth.

_"Fire in the hole!"_ Cyborg shouted. Tram shot the Sonic Cannons again, but this time the Nautilus avoided the attack entirely. It zoomed at the right flank of the sub (where Raven and Tram were sitting) and crashed into it with all its might. Raven cried out as she was slammed hard into the side of her bubble. The T-Sub held fast, but Raven herself was bleeding from a fresh wound in her head.

_"Can't we move any faster?"_ Robin yelled. _"We're sitting ducks if we can't outmaneuver him!"_

_"This is as fast as she goes!"_ Cyborg said. _"We need cover so we have time to turn."_

"I'm trying!" Aqualad zipped into the fray again and threw punch after punch against the monster's snout. But no matter how much he hit him, the shark seemed unphased. It was as if he were punching a wall.

Raven decided to try another tactic. She held a finger up and called on her magic. _"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"_ Black energy encircled the ship like a force field.

_"Alright!"_ Cyborg said. _"Good thinkin', Rae."_

Nautilus tail-smacked Aqualad, knocking him off-kilter and out of the monster's path. The shark then slammed into the T-Sub full-force. Raven gritted her teeth and focused. She managed to keep the shield up even after the painful beating her magic was taking. Nautilus pressed the assault, each attacking only adding to Raven's pain.

Aqualad righted himself and surveyed the scene. He looked down at Beast Boy's floating shark body.

_Come on, buddy. Now would be a good time to wake up. We need you._

-

The soft touch of a mother's hand. It was the first wonderful experience in a baby's life, and one that they would experience continuously over the course of their infancy. To a baby, it was sheer bliss to feel your mother hold you, touch you, and kiss you. She was your world.

_...Garfield Logan. That's your name. Hello, little Garfield._

Beast Boy felt very strange, like he was having a dream. He wasn't in control of himself, but he was a spectator to what was going on. From within the baby's perspective, he felt like an angel was holding him. The woman, whose mouth dominated the baby's view, was smiling.

_You're such a beautiful baby._ The baby giggled and cooed, making the woman laugh gently. _My little boy._

_...Mom?_

In a flash, Beast Boy was awake. His shark senses told him that a lot of things had happened since he was out. The fight must've gone on, because he could smell Aqualad's blood very strongly. The smell of oil and purified fuel told him that the T-Sub was there as well. Beast Boy heard the sound of his friends crying out, and the sound of the massive Nautilus ramming the vessel repeatedly.

Raven gave out one final cry before her shield collapsed. She fell back in her chair, overwhelmed by the pain forced upon her.

Beast Boy could almost feel her pain like it was his own. _Hold on, Raven! Guys, I'm coming!_ Beast Boy went full throttle, picking up as much speed as he could, and slammed the giant shark in the side of the face before it could ram the sub again. The Nautilus seemed caught off guard by this, and was knocked sideways before it could recover its senses.

_"Beast Boy!"_ Starfire yelled. _"You are awake!"_

"Are you guys okay?" he asked, ignoring the pain coursing through his own body.

_"We're fine, for now,"_ Robin said. _"We need to get out of here, fast!"_

"Just leave it to us! Right bud?" He looked at Aqualad, but didn't get a favorable response.

"Too late!" Aqualad was about to dive for cover, but the Nautilus broadsided him and Beast Boy with _the T-Sub itself!_ Robin and the others were thrown about and knocked senseless as the shark swung the vehicle around like a hunk of meat. Aqualad and Beast Boy were battered by the initial assault, but the Nautilus followed up with a powerful underhand swing that knocked them out of the water and into the sky like golf balls! The two heroes landed across the horizon with a loud splash.

Inside the sub, the four Titans and Aqualad's partner were unconscious. None of the bubbles were taking on water, since the shark hit the other heroes with the bottom of the sub instead of the top. But all power to the submarine was offline, and the Titans were in no position to escape. The Nautilus growled ferally and carried the submarine with it as it swam away.

It had bigger plans for these surface creatures.

-

Beast Boy slowly regained consciousness; that is, his mind registered what his eyes were looking at, since they couldn't close in fish form. His body was still cool from the feeling of water around him. He looked around to see fuzzy figures in strange uniforms walking around him. He seemed to be in a water tank of some kind. Yes, this water was different from the sea water. Every time he breathed, his gills tingled from something in the water.

One of the strangers was watching him closely, and noticed that he was awake. The stranger approached the tank and pushed a button. He or she had the head of a fish and a scaly appearance, much like Tram, except taller. This must've been an Atlantean of some kind.

_"Do not be afraid; you are with friends. You're in the 17th Carribean outpost , the Jijudus. We have healed your body in the saline tank."_

"Where… is…" Beast Boy still felt groggy from his battle, and this saline solution seemed to be adding to his state. He felt like he was moving in slow motion.

_"Your friends were taken by the monster,"_ the stranger said. _"We presume they are dead. You and Garth are the only survivors."_

"…Garth?" The stranger motioned to the adjacent tank. Beast Boy looked over and saw Aqualad floating around, his eyes closed as if asleep.

_"You are both lucky to be alive. It was hard to tell if you were, since you both have, shall we say, abnormal physiologies."_

"My friends… are dead?" Beast Boy couldn't keep up with this conversation, so he had to focus on the parts important to him.

The stranger paused, as if saddened by the question. _"We think so."_

Beast Boy wanted to yell out his own opinion, so that the whole world knew as well as this doctor. He wanted to scream, so that he was the center of attention in the whole room. But in his current state, all he could do was worry about the possibility of the statement being true. What if… his friends really were dead?

_"Rest now,"_ the Atlantean said. _"Be happy that you weren't taken with them."_ The doctor walked away, presumably to continue his or her work.

Beast Boy clenched his teeth. More than anything, he wanted to be with them right now. That way, he could try to protect them. He refused to believe that they were dead. No way some stupid fish monster could kill the Titans!

_She might be right, buddy._ Beast Boy looked at the adjacent tank, where Aqualad was still sleeping to all outward appearances. But that voice was definitely his.

_No, way. They're alive. I know it! And the minute I get out of here, I'm going to find them and save 'em!_

_But what if they're not? What if you find them, and… you find something worse than what you hoped?_

Beast Boy answered without hesitation. _Then I'm going to kill the Nautilus, slowly and painfully._

Aqualad couldn't contain his shock. _You're a Titan. You can't do that!_

_If Nautilus killed my friends, I'm not a Titan anymore,_ Beast Boy growled. _I'm back to square one… all alone._

Aqualad couldn't help but wonder. What kind of life did Beast Boy live before he became a Titan? He already knew he lost his parents at an early age. But what happened after that?

He'd probably never know. But if Beast Boy was seriously contemplating killing the Nautilus, he would be breaking Atlantean law. And Aqualad would have to stop him. Even though it would mean losing one of his best friends.

-

Cyborg groaned at the controls of the T-Sub. His baby was beaten to a pulp and could barely maintain life support. And if they didn't repair her soon, she would lose that ability soon too. But as long as that Nautilus was out there, swimming around like a vulture, there was nothing he or Tram could do.

Robin knocked on his bubble, and Cyborg looked up. Robin pointed to his ear. Cyborg shook his head. The two of them were trying to fix the radio, but it refused to respond. Like everything else in the T-Sub, it was battered beyond recognition.

Robin pulled out his communicator and pushed several buttons. All that happened was a loud static spike filled his bubble, forcing him to turn the thing off before he went deaf. It seemed that something was jamming the communication somehow.

Cyborg figured that it was this Nautilus guy. Somehow, he could hide from 70 of Cyborg's sensor systems, and he even faded in and out of sight on occasion. This guy could somehow jam or hide from sensory systems. He probably could do the same to radio waves, meaning that radar and communication wouldn't work when he was around.

Robin knocked on the bubble again, and pointed at Starfire's pod. Her eyes were closed, and her head had a wound from being knocked around in the pod. Raven and Tram were in similar condition. Robin was asking if they were alright, but he was especially concerned about Starfire.

Cyborg held up three fingers, and gave an okay sign. His own sensor systems could read their heartbeats. Robin breathed a sigh of relief.

Cyborg knocked on his bubble this time, and started to breath methodically. Robin understood his question, and held up his pointer finger and bent his middle finger at the middle knuckle.

Great. They had only one and a half hours until they ran out of air. Assuming Nautilus didn't smash them to bits and eat them in the meantime. Cyborg doubted that, because this guy seemed to be smart. He propped the T-Sub on top of an old ship in the middle of a ship graveyard, which was easily accessible to anyone who could swim through the coral barrier surrounding them. He was trying to lure Aqualad or Beast Boy here.

Assuming they were alive after being hit with the T-Sub.

Robin knocked on his bubble and pointed at the shark. Cyborg looked, and saw Nautilus swimming to the biggest entrance in the reef. Cyborg magnified his vision and enhanced the lighting effects so that he could see who or what the shark was approaching.

It was another shark, just as big as he was.

Cyborg looked at Robin and held up two fingers. Robin's eyes nearly bugged out through his mask.

It looked like this shark had a partner in crime. But what were the odds of two Nautilus sharks meeting up in the same area, when the Atlanteans thought there was only one in the first place? Cyborg figured that the sharks were trying to keep their numbers a secret, just like Trident did when the Titans first met Aqualad.

One of these sharks was bad enough; it completely dominated them and sunk a cruise ship by itself. Two sharks was overkill.

The Nautili pair swam in a circle within the reef, resuming their wait. They both seemed to smirk at the T-Sub as they passed, flashing their teeth and flaunting their tails like poodles. They weren't just predators - they were cocky.

Cyborg and Robin looked at each other and had the same thought. They were in deep trouble. Really deep.

-

"Beast Boy, wait up!" Aqualad shouted. He cut off the green shark before it could get away too quickly. "Have you even thought of where you're going to go? Or what you're going to do if you find that thing?"

"No! But I have to do something!" Beast Boy lashed back. "My friends are waiting for me out there somewhere!"

"That may be," Aqualad said firmly. Beast Boy glowered at his lack of faith. "But the Nautilus beat us to within an inch of death in the last fight. And we didn't even seem to hurt it."

"Oh, we hurt it," the Titan said for certain. "It's just able to regenerate so quickly that it doesn't look like it's hurt. But I know for a fact that regenerating is tiring. If I catch it off guard and do a lot of damage in a short period of time, I think I can exhaust it."

"And then what?" Aqualad said in an accusatory tone. "You can't kill it. The Nautilus may be a mutant animal, but it's still an animal, and therefore under the protection of Atlantis."

Beast Boy growled. "You're saying you're going to protect it, even after it killed some of your people?"

"There are rules to follow. You know what I'm talking about. We're heroes, but we don't make the laws. We just enforce them, because it's the right thing to do."

"If that _animal_ hurt my friends, I'm going to kick its butt! And if it killed them, then I'm going to go medieval on it!"

"I won't let you kill it!"

The heroes stared into each other's eyes coldly. Neither was willing to back down. But neither wanted to go against their friend, either.

Beast Boy flicked his tail to turn. "…Alright. We're heroes, so we'll do it the hero way. I don't think I can beat him without your help, anyway."

"Same here." Aqualad smiled a bit. "So let's quit wasting time and go get our friends back."

Beast Boy zipped through the water at top speed, with Aqualad right beside him. Between the two of them, things would turn out alright. After all, they were superheroes.

A few tips later, and Aqualad had the information he needed. They swam for about forty-five minutes all together until they came to a hidden reef filled with ships lost at sea. This "ship's graveyard" was ancient and modern at the same time, boasting vessels from the pirating days and modern day fishing boats.

"Something feels… cold, here," Beast Boy noted. "Up until now, all the water was nice and hot like a shower."

"I feel it too." Aqualad closed his eyes and released a telepathic signal. He gritted his teeth as a result. "This area is filled with Nautilus' hatred. It's here."

"Try the communicator."

Aqualad pulled a T-marked circlet from his uniform belt and pushed the buttons for Robin and the others. Each attempt turned up nothing but static. It worried him.

"We couldn't see him on our radar before," Beast Boy said. "Maybe he can mess up machines somehow."

"…Maybe," Aqualad said without confidence.

"Come on, man. You've gotta believe that they're alright."

"I'm hoping they are," Aqualad admitted. "But I don't think they are. This monster is so deadly, and it beat the two of us with ease. The others wouldn't last a second without the submarine."

"They'd manage somehow!" Beast Boy snapped. He rushed forward towards a tunnel in the coral and disappeared into the darkness. Aqualad looked around to make sure they weren't being followed, then went after him.

They traveled deep into the coral reef, passing the skeletons of humans from long ago. Some had sailor outfits, indicating they were lost more recently to the sea. Beast Boy tried to ignore them, but failed miserably. They unnerved him, and reminded him of his parents. This was turning into a nightmare. His friends might end up dying at sea, just like his parents did.

Not this time, Beast Boy swore. This time, he wouldn't fail the ones he loved.

The heroes swam into a massive antechamber of coral and rock. Up above was the water's surface, with the sun's light filtering through it. A massive wooden ship took up the majority of the sea floor, with the ram of the ship jutting proudly towards one of the walls. Resting on the bridge of the sunken ship was a bright yellow submarine.

"It's them!" Beast Boy cheered. He tried to move forward, but Aqualad stopped him.

"Don't be too hasty," he warned, looking around through the corner of his eyes. "We're not alone."

"Oh yeah." Beast Boy looked around briefly, then stared down at the T-Sub. He saw Robin and Cyborg waving their hands in warning as well. They seemed to be the only ones that were conscious… or alive.

Beast Boy looked down at Raven's bubble. She looked like she was in bad shape.

"It's hiding somewhere around here," Aqualad said. "I can sense his anger, but only because he's filled the entire region with it. I can't pinpoint his exact location."

"Should we split up?" Beast Boy suggested. "It'd probably be better if we stuck together though."

"I agree." Aqualad swam towards a random passage, and Beast Boy followed his lead. They swam through the darkness, their senses focused on finding the Nautilus. Because if they let him sneak up on them, they'd be toast.

"I think he's messing with my senses too," Beast Boy said. "I can't hear very well."

"Shark senses are usually superhuman, but they rely on electromagnetic signals. So if you're right about the radar, then Nautilus may be interfering with your senses too."

Something washed past the entrance to the tunnel. Both heroes whipped around, but saw nothing.

Beast Boy backed up slightly. "I think it's spotted us."

Again, something zoomed past their vision, this time at a fork in the tunnel up ahead. They turned around, but again nothing was there.

"I think you're right. And it's moving really fast."

The sound of a fin pushing water aside - and in stereo, too. Something large was swimming at a sedate pace from the tunnel entrance. Something else was swimming from the end of the tunnel. They were surrounded.

"…I had nightmares for weeks like this after seeing Jurassic Park," Beast Boy joked nervously.

"There's two of them. This could be bad."

"Any ideas?" Beast Boy faced the shark coming from the entrance. Aqualad kept his eye on the other one.

"We won't last long if we fight in here. We have to get past one of them somehow."

"Leave it to me!" Beast Boy changed into a swordfish, the tip of his razor-edged nose glinted in the dim light. Aqualad grabbed him like a battering ram and swam with all his might towards the entrance. The Nautilus waiting there opened its mouth wide, ready to swallow the suicidal boys.

"Let-go-now!" Beast Boy shouted. Aqualad pushed him aside and swam around the shark as best he could. Nautilus dove at Beast Boy, ready to devour him in one gulp. He slammed his jaws shut loudly.

Aqualad came out of the tunnel, turned, and waited for Beast Boy to follow. But all he saw was the Nautilus pursuing him. The second one was right behind it. The teen held his fists up, ready to fight.

Beast Boy (the shark) popped into existence right in front of him and tail-whipped the Nautilus with everything he had. The mutant shark was caught by surprise and flipped tail-over-dorsal, flying off course and almost hitting one of the walls. The second charging shark got a fistful of Aqualad's fury, which sent it tumbling as well.

"How the heck did you do that?" Aqualad snapped. "I thought you were dead for sure."

"I turned into a sea horse and rode in his mouth. Then I popped out when he snorted, and changed when I was in the clear." Beast Boy smirked, baring his shark fangs. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Whatever." Aqualad charged for one of the Nautilus, while Beast Boy went after the other. They went toe to toe with these monstrosities, and actually seemed to be in control of the fight. Aqualad's punches were stunning his shark, and Beast Boy was holding his own by dodging and biting at the creature's flank whenever he could.

"Way to go, B.B!" Cyborg cheered from his bubble, although his voice couldn't be heard outside.

Robin tried to start the engines of the T-Sub, but he met with failure just like before. He wanted to help, but at the moment it looked like Aqualad and Beast Boy were on their own.

WHAM! Beast Boy took a tail-smack to the face, but he kept on fighting without pause. He changed into a hammerhead shark and used his head like a battering ram in a vicious gut check. His Nautilus swam around to try and get behind him, but he quickly changed into a sting ray and whipped the creature's face when it attacked his rear flank. The creature roared in pain as its left eye took the brunt of the attack. The eye regenerated quickly, but it still hurt and enraged the creature.

"We need to deal more damage," Beast Boy said quickly as he dodged another charge. "This isn't cutting it."

"I've got a new trick I've been wanting to try," Aqualad said. He stopped moving and faced his Nautilus with determination. "Move away from me, fast!"

Beast Boy did better. He changed into a giant octopus and used its inky jets to escape. His Nautilus swam through the ink, confused and stunned by the potency of the fluid, and stumbled into its counterpart on the opposite end of the fog. Beast Boy was well out of range by the time it could see again.

Aqualad's fists glowed as he called upon his "new trick". He threw his hands up, then opened his palms before pointing them at the two sharks. In a flash, all the water surrounding the Nautili went to boiling hot temperatures in an instant. The creatures shrieked pitifully from the pain and fell out the bottom of the affected area (which had been reduced to a bubble filled with superheated steam). The creature's skins were seriously burnt, and their regeneration of that damage was much slower compared to the prior damage. The sharks swam away from the center as fast as they could to give themselves time to heal. Aqualad lowered his arms and caught his breath.

Beast Boy (as a shark again) swam to his friend's side. "My turn to ask. How the heck did you do that?"

"I don't spend all my time swimming around. I train with an old magician named Atlan. He taught me how to change the temperature of water by releasing my body's energy."

Beast Boy laughed. "Cool! And it looks like that trick of yours seriously hurt those guys. Burns must be harder to heal than other wounds."

"Yeah, but I don't think I can do that too many times." Aqualad flexed his fingers to loosen them up for the next round of battle. "It tires me out a lot."

"Leave the in-close stuff to me," Beast Boy said. "You just keep it up with that trick, and they'll be too exhausted to fight. Then we'll take them to the authorities."

"You've got it!" Aqualad prepared for a second use of his attack, while Beast Boy swam to intercept the two charging Nautilus monsters. He changed into a giant octopus to catch them by the nose, but their teeth nearly took a chunk of his tentacles off. When their attention was focused on him, he changed into a shark again and bit down hard on one of them. The other Nautilus bit him in return and dragged him around like fish bait. Beast Boy didn't feel much pain from the attack (since the teeth were so sharp, making it feel like a bunch of shot needles rather than dull knives). He quickly changed into an octopus again, released his ink, and swam away to avoid further attack.

He changed back into a shark and surveyed his wounds as best he could. He swore under his breath ("Crud!") as he saw how deep and unsightly the teeth marks were. Thankfully, the shark never bit hard enough to cut him in half.

Aqualad unleashed his new trick once again, flash-boiling the inky black area. The sharks shrieked again, but rather than rush off to regenerate, they charged the perpetrator of the attack. Aqualad managed to avoid one of them, but the other shark rammed him with all its might. Aqualad and the shark slammed into the rock/coral wall, kicking up dirt and shattering a portion of the barrier. The Nautilus backed away quickly, expecting his opponent to flash-fry it again. When Aqualad didn't come out of the rubble, the shark turned around and headed for Beast Boy's position at a sedate pace. Both sharks regenerated their wounds, slowly but surely. They seemed to be tired, but they weren't down for the count yet.

Beast Boy was all alone.

The Titan looked down at his friends, still trapped in the sub. Raven was coming to, as were Starfire and Tram, and they seemed to be aware of the situation outside. Beast Boy's eyes happened to catch Raven's. Although he was a shark right now, he felt that Raven could see his concern. She was an empath, after all.

Raven nodded gently. With renewed vigor, Beast Boy returned his attention to the two Nautilus monsters.

_If they can do it, so can I!_ Beast Boy focused, and called upon his special abilities. They were the abilities given to him accidently by his parents, when they wanted to save his life from a terrible disease. These abilities were Beast Boy's strongest connection to his parents. Because of that, he always had faith in his own strength. Because his strength was his parents' gift to him.

Beast Boy's wounds sealed themselves, and his shark body was filled with a rush of adrenaline. Revived, Beast Boy charged at the closest shark and bit into its neck with all his might. The creature roared as it felt pain. The tiny adversary had taken a chunk of flesh from it!

_"Yeah, do it B.B!"_ Cyborg yelled, punching at the air. _"Kick his butt!"_

Robin's eyes widened. _"Cyborg?"_

Tram whirred and clicked in confusion. The radios were working again!

Robin's radar screen lit up, revealing the two Nautilus monsters, Beast Boy, and the reef barrier surrounding them. _"The interference must be disappearing!"_

_"Can we move?"_ Starfire asked as she checked her console for hopeful information.

_"I don't think so. We just got the radio waves back."_ Cyborg looked up at the battle, and saw Beast Boy somehow holding his own. The little guy was really tough right now. What had him so worked up?

Tram "spoke" to Cyborg, and the Titan replied. _"You think that would work? It's risky…"_

_"What's risky?"_ Robin asked. _"I'm game for anything right now."_

_"Tram says that he can give us partial main power if he goes outside and hotwires the engine from there. With the radio working again, he and I can work together to make my baby seaworthy again."_

_"It's worth a shot,"_ Robin said. _"Beast Boy looks like he's got their attention."_

_"He won't last much longer,"_ Raven said, her attention firmly placed on the battle above. _"His spirit is getting weaker."_

_"Then we'd better do this now,"_ Cyborg said confidently. _"You ready, Tram my man?"_

The aquatic creature woo-blau'ed in the affirmative. It pushed the button that opened the bubble hatch and quickly swam towards the rear of the ship. He coordinated his efforts with Cyborg through the radio, and the two of them rerouted the ship systems with light speed precision.

_"Hang on, Beast Boy,"_ Starfire prayed. _"Your friends are right here. We will help you!"_

WHAM! WHAM! Beast Boy lost track of Up and Down as the two Nautili beat him mercilessly. One of them chomped down on him, firmly holding his body while the other fought for a piece of the action. Beast Boy focused on staying alive, using every ounce of his strength to heal his body. But soon, he wouldn't have the strength, and it would be over.

A blast of black magic shot through the water like a bolt of lightning and slammed the shark pecking at his tail. The other shark's jaw was surrounded by the same magic and forced open, allowing Beast Boy to fall out of its mouth and stagger to safety.

Raven manipulated her magic from the bubble, her energies phasing through the glass like it wasn't there. She strained to control the shark's jaws, and then threw the monster with all her might. Beast Boy never imagined she was strong enough to fight off a giant shark, but Raven was full of surprises.

The only problem was that the Nautilus noticed the sub now, and that Tram was milling about by the engine. One of the sharks charged for the submarine, and the other cut Beast Boy off. Beast Boy tried to yell a warning, but he couldn't actually speak in this shape. The only person who could understand him was unconscious.

_"Friend, look out!"_ Starfire shouted into her headset. Tram didn't look up, but seemed to work faster on the hotwiring.

When it looked like the submarine would be destroyed, Aqualad swept in and checked the shark in the side. A follow-up kick sent the shark flying back towards the upper center of the reef, where Beast Boy was holding his own against the other monster.

_"Aqualad, you are alive!"_ Starfire said happily.

The teen, now sporting a ragged beat-up look, could only smile in return. He swam to safety as the submarine started to power up.

_"Almost there…"_ Cyborg punched keys and pushed buttons even quicker as well, and finally a green light appeared on the board. The power ratings shot up to a noticeable amount, and the T-Sub's engines reactivated. _"Oh yeah, we're back in business!"_

_"Twelve o' clock high!"_ Robin shouted.

_"Fire!"_ The Sonic Cannons blasted their full power, and the Nautilus roared wildly as it flew backwards. Beast Boy tried to dive for safety, but an untimely attack by the other Nautilus caught him in its clutches. The Sonic Cannon crashed into the other two sharks, and the trio was blasted into the coral wall. The wall collapsed on top of them, crushing them with the weight of rock and reef.

_"Beast Boy!"_ Robin yelled. He'd been caught in the attack!

Aqualad swam beside the submarine, his body battered and drained from the extended battle. When they reached the opposite end of the pool, Aqualad pulled at the rocks to uncover the victims.

"Please be okay," Starfire begged.

_"Come on, little bro,"_ Cyborg said.

Raven cluthed the brooch of her robe, the same way Beast Boy had clutched his rosary that morning. She held her breath, and hoped.

_-_

_"Are you doing your prayers, son?"_ Mark Logan asked. He looked through the tent flap at his son, who was kneeling in front of his cot with his hands clasped together.

_"You bet, Dad. I'm doing all my prayers like you asked,"_ he replied innocently, his green face curling into a smile.

Mark walked over and opened his son's hands to find a freshly caught beetle, rather than a rosary like it was supposed to be. The father curled his eyebrow, and Mark laughed.

_"You should do your prayers, son. Bad things can happen if you don't take them seriously."_

_"Oh, I'll do them later, Dad. It's still early!"_ Garfield stood up and raced to the tent entrance.

_"Son." _Garfield stopped in mid-run. _"Tomorrow, your mother and I are going on a boating trip to look for sharks. If I'm correct, their DNA may be the key to helping you with your… um, skin problem."_

_"Really! Al-RIGHT!"_ Again, the boy ran around in a circle. He was always so active.

_"We'll be at sea for several days, so you'll have to decide if you want to go with us or go back to the village with uncle Tawaba."_

Garfield turned into a monkey and made silly noises as he scratched himself. He "thought" about the two choices for about a second, then nodded.

_"Yes, as in go with us? Or yes, as in go home?"_

Garfield nodded, and fell over laughing with simian glee. Mark laughed, despite the seriousness he was trying to project.

_"You think about it tonight. And finish your prayers, or your mother will punish us both."_ Mark headed out of the tent, ready to return to his research of a sample he found on his latest excursion into the African land.

_"Dad?"_

Mark turned around. _"Yes?"_

Garfield turned into a green little boy again, and smiled. _"You and Mom are the best parents in the world."_

The calm scientist nodded gently and returned the smile. _"That's because our son is the best in the world."_

_"Right! Gar is the best!"_ he agreed. He turned into a parrot and repeated his claim, appending a whistle to it. Mark Logan chuckled at his son's antics, and went to continue his work.

-

Beast Boy awoke in another saline tank. He looked through the solution towards the hazy figures outside, expecting to see the same chitinous doctor watching him. He was right, but in addition there was a human teenager beside him/her. It was Raven… strangely enough.

_Was she waiting for me? How long has she been there?_

Raven looked into the tank, trying to see through the saline. The doctor must've told her that he was awake now. Beast Boy swam over to the glass where Raven's face was. She backed away slightly.

_Duh, I'm still a shark,_ he remembered. Beast Boy changed into a cute little goldfish (err… greenfish), but doing so strained his muscles and made him grunt internally. That _hurt_! Of course, the only outword sign of the intense pain was that he blew a whole lot of tiny bubbles.

Raven seemed to notice nonetheless, and smirked in amusement. Beast Boy did his best goldfish scowl. Empathy, again.

The doctor pushed the button to open the communicator, and spoke. _"It will be at least one night before you are ready to leave. You shouldn't change shape when your internal organs are damaged. Please rest."_

Beast Boy thought about healing himself, but he was too tired to try. He figured it would be better if the machine did it anyway. He floated beside the tank where Raven was, unable to speak to her. He still hadn't apologized for snapping at her this morning.

Raven glanced at the doctor, who bowed and walked off to continue his/her work. Raven pushed the button for the tank speaker. Great, he thought. He'd really get it now, and there was nowhere for him to hide.

_"…We thought you weren't going to make it. I'm glad you're alright." _

Raven was _glad_ about something. That was saying a lot for her.

_"Aqualad and Cyborg are waiting for you at the beach,"_ Raven continued. _"Take your time, but… hurry up so I don't have to wait here much longer. It's boring."_

Beast Boy smiled. He couldn't say it right now, but he was glad that Raven was alright too. Stupid fish mouth.

Raven turned off the speaker, waved a bit, and walked away from the tank. She disappeared from his view thanks to the saline clouding his vision. He wondered how concerned she really was. Every day, he thought he had Raven pegged. But once again, Raven had surprised him with her concern.

Beast Boy floated in the saline. He knew exactly what he would do to pass the time until he was fully healed. He would finish that Rosary he started this morning. He didn't have the beads with him, but he remembered the layout. His mother drilled that into his skull at an early age.

_I love you, guys,_ Beast Boy said in opening. _I'll make you proud of me. Now, and forever._

I am a mountain  
I am a tall tree, oh...  
I am a swift wind sweepin the country  
I am a river down in the valley, oh...

I am a vision and I can see clearly  
If anybody asks you who I am  
Just stand up tall  
Look em in the face and say

I'm that star up in the sky!  
I'm that mountain peak up high!  
Hey I made it, Mmm...  
I'm the world's greatest!  
And I'm that little bit of hope  
When my backs against the ropes  
I can feel it, Mmm...  
I'm the world's greatest

I am a giant  
I am an eagle, oh...  
I am a lion  
Down in the jungle  
I am a marchin band  
I am the people, oh  
I am a helpin hand...  
I am a hero...

If anybody asks you who I am  
Just stand up tall  
Look em in the face and say

I'm that star up in the sky!  
I'm that mountain peak up high!  
Hey I made it, Mmm...  
I'm the world's greatest!  
And I'm that little bit of hope  
When my backs against the ropes  
I can feel it, Mmm...  
I'm the world's greatest

In the ring of life, I'll rein love (I will rein)  
And the world will notice a king (Oh Yeah...)  
When all is darkest I'll shine a light (Shine a light...)  
And you'll use the success you'll find in me (Meee...)

It's the greatest, Can you feel it  
It's the greatest, Can you feel it  
(Fades out...)


End file.
